Discovering Truths
by OMGIluvreading
Summary: Set after Seeking Crystal and in different POVs. Crystal begins soulseeking, telling Victor, Uriel and Will where they can find the most important people of their lives. But something comes up. Something big. The Benedicts, Sky, Phoenix, Crystal and Diamond need answers-but they have to give some too.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone! I hope you like this story. It's my second fanfic if you're wondering - my other one is about Heroes of Olympus (it's still in progress). This is set after Seeking Crystal and will be in different POVs. It starts with Sky.**

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**Chapter 1-Sky**

_I'm outside, shall I come in?_ Zed's voice sounded in my head. I glanced out my bedroom window and saw his car.

_No, it's OK. I'll just be a second._ I raced down the stairs and into the kitchen, where my mum was reading the paper. 'I'm heading round to Zed's,' I told her.

She glanced up at me over her paper and smiled. 'OK, sweetie. Do you know what time you'll be home at?'

'Um…not sure...Trace and Di are back today so it'll probably be late.' They wanted to be back from their honeymoon before Christmas holidays were over so they could spend time with the family before everyone had to go back to work. Zed and I had about another 10 days before school started again.

'That's fine. Call me if you need a lift home.'

'Sure,' I said and ran out the door. 'Bye!'

'Sorry I kept you waiting,' I told Zed after I jumped into his car.

'No problem.' He smiled and kissed me on the cheek. After he pulled onto the road he kept smiling. What was he so happy about?

'Uh...Zed? Why are you still smiling?'

'Trace and Diamond are home today.'

What did that mean? 'Yea I know, you were the one who told me.'

'Well,' Zed said, 'if everyone's home, then Crystal has absolutely no excuse to not start her soulseeky thing.' He grinned wider.

'Really Zed? Soulseeky thing? You sound about five…but yea! I can't wait.' I was smiling now too. 'Don't you think the house will be packed when Will, Uri and Vick all have their soulfinders too?'

He turned towards me as we pulled up to his house. 'Honestly Sky, I reckon the house has been full since you first set foot in it.'

_Before that_, I told him telepathically.

I hopped out of the car and Zed followed me to the door. Before I could turn the handle, the door swung open and I was crushed in a hug by Trace and swung round in the air. After setting me down he said, 'Missed you Sky.'

'Obviously,' I said. It was great having him back-he was about the only sensible one between them. I ran into the living room and hugged Diamond, followed by Trace and Zed. Everyone else was sitting on beanbags and cushions in a circle smiling up at us.

Crystal took a deep breath. 'OK guys, let's get started.'

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**I know not much happened here but it will get more exciting-promise! Please review. I'm always looking for new ideas. :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**I hoped you liked the first chapter. R&R! :D**

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**Chapter 2-Phoenix**

When Yves told me that Diamond and Trace were coming home from their honeymoon today, I was ecstatic. I knew that meant Crystal would use her powers to find the guys' soulfinders this evening. It would be brilliant to see them all as happy as me and Yves were. Before we discovered Crystal's gift, Vick, Uriel and Will had tried to hide how hard it was to be without their soulfinders, when their others brothers had theirs. Maybe it was just because Sky can see feelings, and I can see thought patterns, that we realised how tough they were getting it. Before meeting me, Yves wasn't to bad, at least that's what Sky said. He wanted to find his soulfinder, but he wasn't getting angry or bitter like Zed was. I didn't know him before he had Sky, but Karla had described it pretty well.

Anyway, when they were about half an hour away from Wrickenwridge, Diamond called to tell us they were nearly home. Yves and I went round to his parents' (and brothers') house to wait for them. Everyone else was there, apart from Sky and Zed. I made a cup of tea in the kitchen and went into the family room to talk to Crystal.

'Hey,' I said smiling at her. She was sitting on a beanbag, working on a sketch for one of her designs.

'Hi Phee,' she said to me. She seemed anxious.

I frowned. 'Are you OK?'

'What? Oh...yea, yea fine. Just a bit nervous, that's all.' I didn't need to ask what she was nervous about.

'You'll be fine, you know,' I told her.

She pursed her lips. 'What if I do it wrong? What if I end up erasing their soulfinder links or something?'

I shook my head at her and let out a small laugh. 'I seriously doubt that will happen, but if it does, you can fix it, just like you did with all of us before Christmas.'

'I guess,' she said, joining in with my laughter. 'It's really unlikely. I don't know why I'm freaking out so much. I guess I just don't like being put under this much pressure since...' She trailed off.

'Since your dad died,' I finished. She nodded in agreement. 'I know what it feels like you know. When mum died, I was alone.'

She nodded her head again. 'Thanks Phee. I really appreciate yo-'

She was cut off when the door slammed open. 'We're back,' I heard Trace call. Diamond sprinted into the room and Crystal ran up to her and hugged her. After she let go of Crystal she hugged me, and then Karla, who had come dashing in, tackling Trace in a hug. For a small woman, she was amazingly strong.

'It was amazing!' Diamond told us after they had greeted Saul, Vick, Yves, Will and Uri. 'Austria is so beautiful in the winter.'

'Great ski runs,' Trace agreed, causing a roll of the eyes from Di.

'I wasn't talking about the ski slopes. I was talking about the scenery. The mountains are amazing.' She turned back to Karla, Crystal and me. The guys continued to talk about skiing conditions. I mean, why is it such a big deal? They live right next to a freaking ski slope and own the lift. It's not like they haven't been skiing all their lives. 'Salzburg is beautiful,' Di informed us. 'I'd love to go back in the summer to see the Mirabel gardens when all the flowers are out.' I'd read about the gardens in the centre of Salzburg, and always wanted to see them. 'I have plenty of pictures. Here look.' She went to get out her camera but was interrupted by Karla.

'Hang on a second dear,' she told her, 'I'll just go make some drinks and snacks for everyone. I expect you two are hungry after your trip.' Without waiting for an answer, Karla went off to make us hot chocolate.

Five minutes later we were all sitting in a circle on cushions and beanbags, me and Crystal with huge mugs of hot chocolate, everyone else with glasses of mulled wine. This had been my first proper Christmas, with presents and turkey and pudding. It was strange but still, in a way it felt familiar, as if this was where I was born to be, and I guess, in a way, it was.

Outside there was a noise like a car engine. Trace jumped up, almost spilling his drink everywhere. 'That must be Zed and Sky,' he said and he ran off to get the door. Soon after Sky came in and hugged Diamond and greeted everyone else, before grabbing an extra mug of hot chocolate and plonking down on a cushion beside Yves, who was on my left. Trace and Zed entered behind her a minute later.

Once everyone was seated and had said hello to everyone else, Crystal took a deep breath. 'OK guys,' she began, 'Let's get started.'


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks to butterflylion14 and PoshBosch for reviewing. I really appreciate it! I'm sorry it takes so long for me to update…R&R**

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**Chapter 3-Sky**

I was so excited to the point that I was almost jumping up and down on the cushion I was sitting on. I couldn't wait for the three guys to be as happy as the rest of us were-they been on their own for too long.

'Right,' Crystal began, 'how do you want to do this?' She looked over at Uri, Will and Vick. 'Who wants to go first?'

I didn't have to use my powers to see what they were feeling-I could see the excitement, happiness and nervousness in their eyes. They were grinning wildly, like little kids who'd raided the pick 'n' mix aisle and were _way_ too hyped up on sugar.

'Me,' they chorused.

'Hey, Will, there's no way-'

'Yea? And why should _you_ go first Vick? You-'

'Look, I'm the oldest. _I_ should-'

I looked around at the others, trying to hold back a smile. Everyone else was grinning at each other too. _Aren't they a bit old to be squabbling like a bunch of Year 3s?_ I sent the message out to everyone, using Crystal's way to stop her from feeling ill, taking special care to make sure Uri, Victor and Will all heard. They stopped fighting and turned round to look at me. I smiled innocently towards them. Apart from Crystal, Diamond and Phee, everyone else looked at me as if to say _What? _The girls, apart from Karla, were all holding back laughs.

Xav was the first to speak. 'What's Year 3?'

_Whoops_, I thought. I always forgot that the school years were different here. I looked over at the girls. 'What's Year 3 in American school years?'

Phoenix screwed up her nose. 'First grade…I think.'

Will, Victor and Uriel looked at me again and rolled their eyes.

'OK guys, if you can't decide, I'm gonna pick at random,' Crystal told them.

'Fine,' they grumbled.

'K, I'm gonna start by just giving each of you basic information, like your soulfinders' names and where they're from. That's OK, right? Do you want to know their names before you meet them?'

'Just her first name,' Will said, and the others nodded in agreement.

'Won't that make it hard to find them?' I interjected. 'If you don't know enough of about them, I mean?'

Vick was the one who answered. 'I don't want to know too much about her, if she doesn't know anything about me.'

'Right,' Crystal said, 'Will, do you want to go first?' He nodded and grinned widely. Crystal closed her eyes and concentrated.

I leant my head on Zed's shoulder and waited. _This is brilliant, isn't it?_ Zed said to me telepathically. I looked up at him, smiling, and nodded.

After a minute or two, Crystal opened her eyes again. She looked at Will. 'Her name's Rowan.'

He smiled even wider. 'Perfect,' he said. Zed rolled his eyes and I mentally clipped him over the back of the head for being rude.

'Where's she from?'

She closed her eyes again. 'Amster- what? No, how is that right?'

'What's wrong?' I asked her.

'Crystal? Crystal, what's up?' Xav, who had been holding her hand, put his arm round her shoulders instead.

'I thought Will's soulfinder was in Amsterdam…I guess not.'

'What do you mean you thought she was in Amsterdam? You only just checked there now,' Di said.

Crystal exchanged a guilty look at Xav. 'Um, well…at the end of the wedding I may have just taken a peek into their minds…'she trailed off into silence.

'So that was you. I knew I felt something!' Uriel said.

'Well done bro,' Xav said really slowly and sarcastic. I muffled a laugh, but felt kinda bad when Uri's colours tinged purple and I knew he was embarrassed.

'Uh, guys? Can we get back to the matter at hand? Like, my soulfinder?' Will seemed kinda miffed that we had changed subject. 'Where is she Crystal, really I mean?'

'Hang on a sec…yep. Got it. She's in Ireland-the north.'

Will's eyes lit up. 'Seriously?'

'Seriously,' Crystal told him, smiling back. 'Ok, Uriel, you next.'

Uri was shaking with anticipation.

'Zuri,' Crystal said, 'her name's Zuri. She's from South Africa.' He sighed with relief, as if it had been causing him physical pain not knowing who his soulfinder was.

'Right. Vick, now you.' Before speaking again Crystal looked up at Xav. They were both smiling, but they seemed nervous. Their colours were mixed, like they were wary of something. 'I just wanna double check everything. I don't want to make any mistakes.' She closed her eyes again. Maybe it was just me, but it seemed like she was trying to put this off. 'Your soulfinder's name is Jacinta.'

'And where is she?'

Another nervous glance to Xav. 'Afghanistan.'

Vick gaped at her. 'Really? Afghanistan? She's not in the war, is she?'

'Uh, not sure. Can't tell at the moment.' Again Crystal paused in concentration. This wasn't nearly as exciting as I'd thought it would be. 'Uh, Vick? There's something you ought to know about her.' A panicked look crossed his face. 'It's not that bad, she's okay, and it's not even her fault,' she told him, rushing through her words to try and stop him from worrying.

'Crystal,' he said in a warning voice, 'tell me _now_.'

'She may just be in prison,' she said. _Wow_. Forget what I said about not being exciting.

_Did not expect that, _Zed told me.

_Me neither._

'I mean she's innocent and everything,' Crystal started talking fast again. 'That's what I meant about it not being her fault.'

Everyone was just as shocked as Zed and I at this revelation. I looked at Vick and his expression was hilarious. It was in between shock and amazement. Mind you, if had just received this news I would have looked weirder.

Crystal gave him a small smile. 'She needs your help.'

'Yes,' said an all too familiar voice. I looked to the door and saw one of the people I hated most in the world. 'But I'm afraid that it's you lot in most need of help right now.'

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**Dundundun! Whaddya think? Really sorry about how long it takes to update… Please review cos I'll really appreciate it!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4-Crystal**

I was pleased that Victor hadn't gone nuts. I mean, really, that guy was scary. If he had gotten angry, I wouldn't have known what to make of it.

Speaking of not knowing what to make of people…

'Get. Out. Now,' Zed demanded. I didn't know who this woman was or why she was here, but Zed and Sky certainly did. Looking around the room, I realised almost everyone else did too. Phee and Di were the only ones who were confused like me. I looked at Xav who was sitting beside me. His eyes were wide with shock, as were Uri's, Will's and Yves'. Sky's face was white with fear. Zed got to his feet, followed by the rest of his brothers, Saul, Karla and Sky. I looked at Diamond and Phoenix, both of them confused like me. We got up along with the others.

'How can you even be here? You were supposed to be in prison for years,' Sky said with tears in her eyes. Zed stepped in front of her protectively.

'Oh, how romantic. He's trying to protect his little soulfinder.'

'Yeah well maybe if you had one you wouldn't be such a sadistic cow,' Xav said.

I looked at him. _Xav, who is she?_

Before he got the chance to answer the woman spoke again. 'It's seems that there are some new faces here. I really ought to introduce myself. My name is Maria Toscana Kelly.'

Phee's eyes filled with hatred. She obviously knew the name, but me and Diamond still didn't have a clue.

_Who is this woman?_ I asked Xav again.

_Crystal, do you remember what we told you about when we first met Sky? How she was kidnapped because of being close to us?_ It was Saul speaking now. I mentally nodded to him. It wasn't the sort of conversation you forgot about.

_The Kelly's were behind it_, Zed informed me. It had been fine when I was talking to Saul, because he'd used my type of telepathy, but Zed was so angry he'd forgotten and now I felt sick. I hid it, though, not wanting to cause any more hassle as we'd already got our hands full.

'So rude, using telepathy when I'm standing right here,' the woman said. How did she know? 'And you really ought to be more specific.' She looked at Zed. 'All you told her was "The Kelly's were behind it". I don't mean to brag but we have been behind several things involving this family.'

Something clicked inside my head. _Everyone, only use my type of telepathy, she mustn't be able to pick it up. Does anyone know what her powers are?_

_We were never completely sure. It has something to do with shields. We thought she could break them, but she must be able to pick it up every time we use our powers, _Sky told me.

'What do you want with us Maria?' Karla asked.

'Oh, that's the million dollar question, isn't it?' This Maria woman was enjoying this, and that made me even more frustrated.

'Whatever it is, it's not gonna happen. There's thirteen of us and one of you,' Victor said.

'Ah, yes, about that. I should probably mention I'm not here alone. Did you really think I'd be that foolish?'

'So who have you with you? Daniel? Sean?' Sky asked her, disgust in her voice when she mentioned the names.

'Oh no, little Sky. No, my dear brother and father are still in prison thanks to you. I managed to convince them of my innocence. I explained of how I had been manipulated, just like you. No, to the police, I'm a poor young woman who was tricked and threatened into going along with my brother and father's evil schemes.'

'Any cop who bought that rubbish couldn't have been right in the head,' Phee said. 'You were as just as much behind Sky's kidnapping as the rest of the Kelly's were.'

'The chances of you ever being released are about a billion to one,' said Victor. 'And if anything like that had happened, we would have been the first to be notified, even if you had broken out.'

'Well, maybe you think of yourselves more important than you really are.'

'Oh, shut up,' I said.

'She's lying anyway,' said Sky. She turned to Maria. 'You messed with their heads, didn't you? You or your dad. You tricked them into releasing you, and stopped them from telling us about it.'

'Not as stupid as you look, little girl.' She was acting smart, but I knew from looking into her mind that she was annoyed that we'd worked it out. I was surprised that Zed wasn't about to strangle her for making fun of Sky, then I looked at Diamond. She was looking at him, and I figured she was using her gift to prevent him going ballistic. 'Anyway, enough of this chitchat, we really need to get down to business. 'C'mon in boys,' she called. 'And bring one of _them_ with you. I wouldn't move if I were you. We wouldn't want anyone to get hurt.'

About ten men came in_. Oh, great,_ I thought to _Xav, this is gonna be fun._

_No one can hold the Benedict's_, he said.

'Bring her forward.'

I heard muffled yells coming from behind the group, like someone was gagged. A figure, bound and, gagged, like I had thought, was dragged forward by two of the men who had been standing at the back of the group. I could tell it was a girl, because of her clothes, but not if we knew her or not as her head was covered in a cloth bag.

'Oh, Phoenix, isn't it? Don't even think about freezing us. I think you'll find my shields are a bit too strong.

_What? How does she know about my gift? _Phee asked us all. No one had an answer.

_She's right though dear. Don't try anything, any of you. We don't want whoever the hostage is getting hurt because of us, _said Saul.

_But she said _one_ of them when she told the men to come in. She has more than one hostage. _It was Yves this time.

'Now, I'm sure you're all just dying to know who we have here.' Maria interrupted our telepathic debate.

'And you want for their safe return,' added Will.

'But you don't even know who we have. Why would you be so desperate to have them back already?'

I stared at her incredulously. 'Just because we don't know who she is, doesn't make her life worth any less. She's still a person. An innocent one by the sound of it, too.'

Maria didn't say anything, just raised an eyebrow, as if asking if I was serious. I figured this was the sort of person who wouldn't mind killing to get what she wanted. Then I remembered what the others had said about the Kelly's, and realised she _was_ that sort of person.

She walked over to beside the hostage and gripped the top of the bag, and pulled. She was stood in front of the girl so I couldn't see the girl's face. Maria reached behind the girl's head and took off her gag. 'Make too much noise and this goes back on.' She stepped away. The girl was… Okay, this would've been way more dramatic if I had known who she was. She was faintly familiar, as if she was someone I had passed in the street a few days ago.

I may not have known who she was, but some of the others did. When Maria moved away Yves' and Zed's jaw dropped and Sky, Karla and Phee cried out; 'Zoe!'

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**Well? R&R!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks to meggi 4, sevenofdiamonds7, bookwormlove14, butterflylion14 and Mystery for reviewing!**

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**Chapter 5-Sky**

I swear I was gonna kill this woman. It was one thing kidnapping a savant, but a normal person who had no knowledge of the savant world? That's just evil. I can't believe one of the Kelly's got out-the savant net promised they would make sure the guards were people whose minds couldn't be meddled with. Boy, were they wrong.

I already hated the Kellys and everyone who worked for them because of _my_ kidnapping, but taking my friend was a step too far. I can't begin to imagine how shocked Zoe was, and how confused she was when they took her, and all she seemed to be feeling now was anger and hatred.

'Zoe!' I and Phoenix yelled when Maria stepped away. She looked around at us, trying to get her bearings. When she saw me she gaped. 'Sky! What the hell is going on? I was just coming home from my cousins- I mean- someone- I was kidnapped for crying out loud! Do- do you guys have a part in this?' Wow, that girl can talk.

I didn't answer her questions; there would be enough time for that later. I turned to her kidnapper with absolute fury on my face. 'You- you complete and utter- My friend- my _friend_- I mean, she doesn't even know about this- about what we do, what we are! You honestly couldn't think of anyone else to have taken hostage. You kind of had lots of choices!'

'Believe me, I know that. I couldn't take your parents-no, that would be far too expected. Too easy. As you said, I had many choices. So I figured, why only take one? Bring the others.' Three of her guards left the room and went outside.

No. No. 'Others? If you took Zoe then- Holy crap.' Realisation dawned on my face, and I knew Maria could see it. _Tina_. _Nelson_. I told the others telepathically, remembering to use Crystal's way. Zed looked at me and nodded slightly, he had figured the same thing.

'Sky?' Zoe's voice was shaking. 'Please. Please explain. I don't know what's happening or- or why I'm here. Who _are_ these people?' I checked her colours. There was nothing apart from fear, and from the guns that all of Kelly's guards carried, I couldn't say that I blamed her.

'I'm so sorry you got dragged into this- into our problems. You have nothing to do with this and I promise you we will get you out.'

Despite my best efforts, this didn't console her much. 'These two are still out boss,' a gruff voice said. The other guards re-entered the room, dragging the unconscious forms of Tina and Nelson with them.

_You were right_, said Zed's voice.

The men lay them on the floor and moved back to their original positions.

Karla turned to Maria. 'Please, let them go. We'll do anything-they have no involvement in any of this. They're just children!'

'Oh, dear me. I see how upset you are. Maybe I should just let them go and leave in peace. Or maybe not! Do you honestly think I'm that stupid?'

Xav nodded as if he was considering this. 'Uh…yea, I think so.'

'Shut up, Benedict.'

'You asked the question,' Phee said. 'He just answered.'

Before Maria could give another angry retort I spoke. 'Look, can you just get to the point? What is it that you want?'

'Isn't it obvious? You are going to get my father and brother from prison. You will give us all the information we need about the Net. You will make sure that no form of government or authorities come for us. You will convince all of them to let us go.'

'Yea, that's gonna happen.'

'I expect so. After all, I have your friends.'

'Not for much longer,' Zed growled. Maria just rolled her eyes.

I heard a shuffling sound from behind her. 'What's going on?'

'Yeah. An explanation would help.' Tina and Nelson were on their feet. 'Zoe? Sky? Zed? What the hell?' I sighed. This was going to be a long day.

'Hell,' I muttered. 'Yes, that pretty much sums up this day so far.'

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**I'm really sorry that I haven't updated in ages, but I hope to update a couple of times over the next two weeks because I'm off for Easter this Thursday, Friday, and the whole of the next week.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi! Apologies for the wait, but I've been really busy recently. My exams are finally over! Anyway, I've decided to change the names of the brothers' soulfinders to Zuri(Uriel), Jacinta(Victor) and Rowan(Will), instead of Jasmine, Tamsen and Cameron.**

**I really appreciate any reviews I get, so please R&R!**

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**Chapter 6-Phoenix**

I knew the Kellys were evil and twisted, but I honestly never believed they would've dragged non-savants into this, not to mention people who didn't have freaking clue what a savant was. I've only met Zed and Sky's friends a couple of times, but I had got on well with them mostly, and would hate anything to happen to them. I tried to imagine how they must feel now, not knowing why they were here or who had brought them here. I've known I was a savant all my life, so it was difficult to think of it from a 'normal' person's point of view.

Tina looked as if she was about to have a panic attack. Her face had gone completely white and her breathing was heavier. I saw Xav's eyes widen and I figured that she wasn't doing too well medically wise.

_She's about to drop,_ he told us. _She's gonna collapse._

Nelson and Zoe didn't look as if they were gonna be able to catch her, and I was sure none of the guards would bother either. Maria would probably just laugh. Old hag.

_Quick!_ I screamed into their heads, _I have an idea! Someone cause a distraction, we have to weaken her shields._

Turns out we didn't need to.

'Hey! I don't know who the hell you are, but from what I've heard so far, you aren't wanted here.'

Maria and all her guards spun round to look for the owner of the new voice. They couldn't see them. Neither could I.

_Whatever your plan is, you wanna do it now?_ Ok, who was this guy in my head? I'm pretty sure it was a girl who spoke out loud.

_Get on with it Phee! _It was Yves this time.

I did what I do best. I froze them. Maybe this wasn't as exciting as you were expecting it to be, but hey, it worked. I know what you're gonna say, _You can't do that, her shields are too strong! _Well obviously, that why I needed the distraction. It's hard to keep your shields as strong when you're surprised, shocked, or faced with something unexpected. Is a voice (or two in my case) that you can't find the source of, even when it sounds as if they're right beside you unexpected? Yea, you could say that.

The guards had been easy to freeze-they weren't even savants-but Maria was harder. Even with them weakened, I still had to punch through her shields. Maria was stuck with her mouth half-open, like she was about to yell.

'Go Phee,' Crystal said, smiling at me. I grinned back.

'Um… someone want to tell us why they're all…' I didn't think it would be possible for Tina to get any paler. I was wrong.

'Frozen? Yeah, I'll explain in a bit,' I said, then paused when something occurred to me. 'We are going to tell them, aren't we?'

'I'm afraid we'll have to,' Saul said grimly.

'Seriously? They've just heard voices come out of thin air, and they're wondering about what they'll tell their friends?' It was the guy's voice again.

Before anyone could say anything, Xav and Zed rushed to either side of Tina, catching her just as her legs buckled. they each put one of her arms around their shoulders to support her.

The shock of his girlfriend collapsing must've knocked him out of his trance, because Nelson too ran to Tina as the two lay her down on the sofa. However, Zoe stood with her eyes wide, staring transfixedly at where I thought the source of the voices must be.

'Guys,' I said, 'I'm all for staring into space and looking for invisible people, but this is really starting to hurt. Can we just tie them up or something?'

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After all the guards had been tied up and had their weapons taken off them, I released them from the mind freeze thing, but because they'd been frozen for so long they were now all unconscious. Xav checked they were all okay, and said they should wake in about an hour.

'So what do we do about the Wicked Witch of the West?' Xav asked. Maria was still standing there, the only one still frozen.

'We should probably call the Savant Net,' Will said.

Victor nodded, then added, 'And the FBI. That woman needs to be locked up again.'

'Definitely.'

While Victor went off to make the calls, Zed tied Maria's hands behind her back and sat her against the wall by the door. 'Just to be safe.' Saul nodded.

'So... you want to tell us now why we were kidnapped, you were threatened by some woman,' Nelson nodded to Maria, 'why she and her guards froze, and why there appears to be a couple of ghosts in your house?'

'We will,' Uri told him, 'only first whoever else is here better come out right now.'

'Oh good,' said the guy's voice, 'I was beginning to think you'd forgotten about us.'

Zed muttered, 'Not likely,' while Victor reentered the room and informed us the FBI were sending a team to us now.

'Well then? Where the hell are you?' Crystal asked.

I not really sure how it happened - one second there was nothing there, the next a guy and girl stood in front of us.

'Hello.'

'God, I'm going insane!' Zoe exclaimed.

'No, you're not,' Sky told her.

'But-'

'Just shut up a minute, ok Zoe?' Sky snapped, 'We kinda have bigger things to deal with right now.' All three of them went quiet.

'Who are you people?' Diamond asked.

'I'm Alec and this is Lyric, my soulfinder,' he said. He spoke with an English accent. Everyone was silent for a minute.

'So which one of you is it that can turn invisible?' Karla asked them.

'That would be me,' Alec said. 'It's not really invisibility-it's more like tricking the mind into thinking there's nothing there.'

'What's the difference?' Sky asked.

'There isn't much difference-just that it doesn't work on animals,' Lyric said. Her eyes passed over me and she gasped. 'Alec,' she said, 'I think that's her.'

I glanced at Yves but he looked just as confused as me. Alec looked at his soulfinder, then at me and nodded. 'I think so.' He stared at me. 'This is gonna sound really stupid, but do you remember me?' I looked at him and my eyebrows furrowed. He was around twenty five. He had dark hair and eyes, and he was tall. I guessed he was Mediterranean. But I didn't know him.

'Sorry, but I don't know you.' I shook my head slightly.

'Try and remember. Please.' He ran his fingers through his hair. 'What's your name?'

'Wait,' Sky said, 'you think Phee should remember you, but you don't know her name?'

'Phee?' he questioned.

I gave a small nod. 'Yeah. Short for Phoenix.'

He smiled. 'It is you! Phoenix is Greek, like Alec. It _has_ to be you.'

'When you say "it has to be her", what do you mean? Who's Phee to you?'

'Why? Who's she to you?' Alec asked Yves.

'He's my soulfinder. And my husband,' I interjected.

'But you're only-'

'Eighteen,' I told Lyric? 'Yeah, we get that a lot.' Yves and I shared a smile. 'Look Alec, I don't know who it is you think I am, but I don't know who you are. I'm sorry, you've got the wrong person.'

He shook his head. 'I haven't. I know it's you. Phee, look at me.' He came a couple of steps closer. 'Who do you I remind you of?'

This time I shook my head. When was this guy going to accept that he had the wrong girl? 'No one. I've never seen you before.' I paused for a few seconds. 'Fine. I guess you do look bit familiar. You remind of... of...'

'Of your mum.'

My eyes went wide and I took a step backward. 'How can you know that?' He looked at me, a little sadly, a little hopeful. Something clicked in my head. 'No! No, you can't be!'

'Phoenix-'

'No! Shut up! Stop lying to me!' I was sobbing now. With my hands over my ears, I crouched down and hid my face in my knees. I felt Yves arms around me, his attempts to console me.

**Phee, calm down**

'Get out of my head Victor!'

The next thing I knew someone pulled my cupped hands from over my ears.

'Phee!' It was Sky. 'Look, Phee, I'm not even sure what Alec meant, but I do know that whatever it was, he's telling the truth. Trust me on this.'

I looked at her and our eyes met. _He isn't lying to you._ I nodded and stood up, wiping my eyes. I looked at him, shaking my head. This wasn't possible.

_'_Alec... how can that be true? How can you be...'_ Alec, how can you be my brother?_

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**So? You like it? Hate it?**


	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks to anyone who reviewed the last chapter!**

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**Chapter 7-Lyric**

To tell you the truth, I hadn't a clue what we'd find when we finally tracked down Alec's sister. It had been five months since I'd met Alec, and we'd spent most of that time following leads on Phoenix, and I know he'd been looking for her for a long time before that as well.

'Alec, how can you be...?' They looked at each other for a few seconds, and I figured they were talking telepathically. I looked around at everyone else. Some of them looked confused, others worried. The three teenagers sitting on the couch were just staring blankly at us.

'Is there somewhere we can talk?' Alec asked her. Phoenix nodded slightly, still shocked and pale.

'Yeah... yeah, in the kitchen.' She turned to the man on her left, the one with curly hair and glasses. Her soulfinder. 'Yves, will you come?'

He nodded, still confused and looking at Alec warily. Phee gripped his hand and lead us to the door we had entered through. She opened it and was about to walk into the hallway, before turning and looking again at her family. 'Uri, will you come too? Just in case...' She trailed off, tapping her temple.

What looked like one of the oldest brothers stepped forward and followed us into the hall and through the door opposite, into a large kitchen and dining room with a long table. Phoenix, her husband, and his brother sat on one side, Alec and I on the other. The two brothers looked at each other, obviously not understanding all that had went on.

'Uri,' Phoenix said, 'I need you to help me look for memories.' So that's what his gift was.

'What of?'

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, as if it was hard for her to say. 'Of Alec.'

'Hang on,' Yves said, suddenly determined, 'first someone has to explain. How do you two,' he gestured at us, 'know Phee?'

After a pause, Phee said, 'Yves, Alec's my... he's my brother.'

'What?!' they exclaimed together.

'How is that even possible?' Uri asked. 'Phee, how come you never said anything?'

'She didn't know,' Alec told them, his voice hoarse. He met her eyes. 'The time mum got pregnant with you wasn't the first time she met dad.'

She was shaking her head again. 'Where were you then? I was with the Community my whole life and I don't remember you at all. And I'm sure someone would have known if Mum had had a kid before me... Kasia, or the Seer, or Tony.'

'Tony's still there?' he asked her, smiling slightly. 'I always liked him.'

'Was there-the Community's finished. I don't know where he is now. You never answered my question.'

'I wasn't there because I got out when I was seven. Mum got me out. She didn't tell anyone I was her kid, because she knew then that there was no way the Seer would let me leave if he knew. After I disappeared, everyone thought I'd got picked up by social services or something.'

'Where did you go?'

'I actually was in a care home for a while, around six months, but then I ran away. After a few years, Dad found me. Didn't even know I was his kid until he died. I didn't know he was my dad either. When he died about six or seven years ago, I was fifteen so-'

'But that makes you round twenty two or something! You look more like twenty five,' Phee said.

'Yeah, we are twenty two,' I said. 'He does look older, doesn't he?' Phee nodded at me.

Alec rolled his eyes at our exchange. 'I was still underage so I would have to be in care for a year until I was allowed to be on my own. Got involved with the wrong crowd. Did some things I'm not proud of.'

All three of the others' eyebrows furrowed. I'd heard this before of course, so it didn't bother me, except when people just assumed we were bad news because of our history. Mine wasn't completely clean either.

'What sort of stuff?' Phee asked.

He shrugged. 'All sorts. A lot of things, though not nearly as bad as half of the rest of the people I hung around. Mostly it was just running jobs for the guys in charge. Collecting money, giving... messages of sorts to people that the bosses didn't like. They can get pretty scared when an invisible guy starts yelling at them.'

'Umhm,' Yves said. I could tell he wasn't big on the idea that Alec was related to his wife.

'You have to believe me though; I'm not like that anymore. I've stopped doing all that stuff since even before I met Lyric. The last thing I did for those guys was almost four years ago.'

'I do believe you, it's just... before Yves and his brothers and everyone, I haven't had any family since mum died. It's just shock I guess.'

'Yeah, I know what you mean. When I left you were three, so I can't blame you for not having any memories of me, especially when I forgot you existed for most of my life.'

'How come?'

'In between running away and going to stay with Dad, there was this savant guy. He told me he could help me. I was really angry and I missed you and Mum, so much so I wanted to go back to the Community to see you, but I knew I couldn't because Mum made me swear I wouldn't. He took away my memories of you two. I remembered my whole life, just without my family, convincing me I had no sister and that I never knew my mum.

'When Dad took me in, he felt sorry for me, I guess. Figured out I was a Savant. He was one too you know. Anyway, I remember him talking about our mum, but of course I didn't realise who he was on about then. He said she hadn't told him much about herself, her past, so he didn't know about the Community. He had looked all over but hadn't found her. The last time he said he saw her was five years ago when he took me in. I never told him much about what I thought was my history, but he never pressed me.

'I never really understood what his gift was-something to do with memories or shields or something like that. It wasn't until he was about to… go,' he winced. I knew he and his Dad hadn't been very close, but Alec had still cared about him. 'Right before he died, I- I let him into my head for the first time, I put down my shields. He saw my real past, even though I didn't. Wasn't 'til almost three years later when I got all the memories of Mum back, and the ones of you about eighteen months later.' He nodded at Phee. 'I've been looking ever since. Took a long time until I even found out Mum was… Anyway, it only took this long because the Community had moved a couple of times and believe me, the Seer is _very_ good at covering his tracks.'

'Got that right.'

We were all quiet for a few minutes. Yves and Uri had finally seemed to accept that Alec was telling them the truth.

'I suppose we ought to go back to the others,' I said.

Phoenix nodded and got up, with us following her to the. 'They're probably explaining the whole Savant thing to the others.' She turned. 'We never thanked you two for that, did we? Maria might've hurt someone if you hadn't turned up.'

'Why was she here anyway?' I asked them.

'Uh,' Yves said, 'Long story short, after our family put two people who had been working for the Kellys-that's her family-in prison, she and her brother and father kidnapped Sky as part of their revenge. Then, we got Sky back and pretended to go along with their plan, and got them all sent to jail. Now, she's escaped and was trying to bargain for her family's release in return for Sky and Zed's friends' safety.'

Alec and I exchanged looks. 'Okay.'

We were silent as we crossed the hallway again and Yves opened the door. 'Guess we didn't need your help after all Uri,' Phee said.

'Guess not,' he agreed.

As we entered the room I saw everyone was sitting on beanbags in a wide circle.

'Oh good,' the oldest woman – Mrs. Benedict said (I didn't know her first name), 'You're back. We were just about to show them… what we can do.'

I looked and saw three teenagers eyeing us sceptically.

Yves was grinning. Phoenix and the rest of the Benedicts were grinning too. They obviously knew something we didn't. And then, Yves said, 'This should be fun,' just as his hand caught fire.


	8. Chapter 8

****** Thanks a load to looksatbooks, butterflylion14 and sevenofdiamonds7 who reviewed Chapter 7**

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**Chapter 8-Sky**

'If someone doesn't explain all of this,' Zoe gestured to the row of unconscious criminals, 'I think my head might explode.'

No one said anything.

Phee, Yves and Uriel had just left with the two newcomers to 'talk' about stuff. I think that situation confused me more than Maria's escape, the kidnappings and the hostage threat put together. I'm pretty sure that it was only Alec and his soulfinder who fully understood that.

'Oh come on! Will one of you say something already?' Tina said, exasperated. She hadn't been out for very long.

'We kinda deserve to know,' Nelson said, agreeing with her. As much as I wanted to tell my friends the truth, I knew it would only make it more dangerous for them.

_Do we really have to tell them? _I asked everyone.

_I don't think we have any choice, dear, _Karla said. I nodded, already having known the answer before I'd asked the question.

_I'd offer to take away their memories, but I'd be afraid of erasing too much._ Crystal looked at us apologetically. _Sorry, guys._

I shook my head._ Doesn't matter. That wouldn't be right anyway. It wouldn't _feel_ right. Not after the Contessa did it to us. _Diamond, Karla and Crystal nodded, agreeing with me. _And Nelson's right-they deserve to know after what they've been through today._

I collapsed onto a beanbag, Zed doing the same next to me.

'This is gonna take a while,' Zed said. He didn't seem to keen on telling the others either, but I knew he would rather tell them than have their memories stolen. 'You might as well sit down,' he told the rest of his family. There were small mumbles of agreement as everybody took their seats again.

'You three too,' I told my friends, and slowly they filled Yves, Phee and Uriel's vacated cushions. Nelson was glancing around at each of us individually, Tina was resting her head on her hand, while the other hand was drumming her manicured nails against her leg, and Zoe was looking at Zed and I expectantly with one eyebrow raised.

_Crystal, are you sure you can't do the memory thing?_ Victor asked her.

_I wouldn't want to risk trying. And Sky's right; I hated it when the Contessa tried it on me._

_Yes, but you're Savants. I'm sure they wouldn't notice anything. They wouldn't be any the wiser, _he told us.

We _would know though_, Zed said.

Victor sighed at his comment. _It's big security risk, you know._

'So it's okay to tell an international movie star and his agent what we are, but not mine and Zed's best friends? We trust them Vick,' I snapped. Don't get me wrong, I loved all of my (sort of) brothers and sisters to bits, but sometimes, Victor was just plain rude. I didn't even bother to check his aura, I already knew he'd be pissed off with me.

Tina, Zoe and Nelson were all staring at me as if I was mad. That seemed to happen a lot today.

'What?' I asked, after I could no longer stand to have them staring at me. I swear their eyes were burning a hile in the side if my head.

'Victor never said anything, Sky,' Tina told me, looking concerned now.

'Oh. Oops,' I said, only now registering I had said that out loud and not using telepathy.

'Yeah, "oops",' Vick said. He was looking at me, his eyebrows raised with a mock innocent face. I scowled.

_Shut up Victor_, Zed told him.

_You shut up._

'Boys! That is enough! We have enough to do today without you two bickering with each other,' Karla said, her eyes narrowed as she looked between them. My three non-savant friends exchanged another look, as if agreeing that I was not the only mad one in the room.

_So unfair_, Zed muttered in my head. I rolled my eyes at him before turning my attention back to his parents.

_Saul, do you mind explaining the basic stuff to them first?_ I asked him.

_Are you sure you don't want to Sky?_

_Yes,_ I told him_, I'm sure. Plus, the time Zed tried, I thought he was going insane._

_Hey!_

_It's true, _I said simply, shrugging my shoulders.

'Okay, seriously: what is with all the weird looks and random gestures?' Tina asked seriously.

'Yeah, are you guys telepathic or something?' Zoe joked, giving a small, half-hearted laugh.

'Busted,' Xav muttered, and Crystal shot him a glare.

Will grinned at Xav's comment and turned to Zoe. 'Yeah, we are actually.' He was smiling at her, as if he hadn't just dropped a huge bombshell.

Tina laughed nervously. 'So, you guys gonna explain or what?'

Xav gave her a look of mock confusion. 'We just did.'

'Okay, can you all quit kidding around?'

Trace shook his head at his younger brothers' behaviour. 'We aren't messing with you. You wanted the truth and that's what that is: the truth. We are telepathic.'

'Yeah,' Nelson said, 'of course you are.'

Trace shrugged. 'It's up to you if you believe us. What we can do; the telepathy and, ur . . . _other_ abilities make us Savants. That's the name for people like us.'

'Savants?' Zoe raised her eyebrow at him.

'Uh-huh.'

'Savants. People with telepathic powers and alleged "other" abilities,' Zoe looked around, and every one of us nodded at her. 'Yeah well- Oh! Sorry, I just realised-I forgot to call Harry Potter to tell him I won't make Quidditch practice next week!'

Xav snorted. 'Huh...quidditch.'

'What?' I asked him.

'Quidditch is a really weird word,' he told me, as if it was obvious.

Crystal sighed, covering her face with her hands.

_He is such an idiot!_ she told me, giving me a pleading look.

I smiled and shrugged. _What can I do about that?_

'What happened to Saul explaining it you guys?' I said, looking at Wil, Trace and Xav. Victor was now completely silent, and doing a good job of looking utterly bored.

'Well he wasn't saying much, was he?' Xav looked at me with a 'Duh!' expression on his face.

'You do know you never actually gave Saul a chance to speak, don't you?' Di said.

'And Xavier-don't talk about your father like that,' Karla scolded.

'Sorry,' he mumbled.

Saul sighed, turning to my friends. 'What the boys told you is correct-we can do telepathy, and it's because we-myself, Karla, the boys, Sky, Crystal, Diamond, Phee and now Alec and Lyric too-are Savants. All Savants can use telepathy. When we use it on each other,' he gestured at the rest of us, 'it is a way for us to communicate. However when used on non-Savants, the person will feel as though it is an instinct or urge to do something.'

I knew the three of them would take it more seriously after Saul told them.

'But that's impossible!' Tina said.

'I guess,' Zoe said, speaking quietly now, 'it would explain how you two always seem to know what the other's going to say before they say it.' She pointed at Zed and me. 'And how you can all look at each other and know what the other person means without speaking.'

'I still don't believe it,' Nelson, looking at me like _Are you serious?_

_'_Let's show you then,' Zed told him._ Stand up, _he said into Nelson's mind.

Nelson stood up. Xav snickered.

'Uh, Nelson? What are you doing?' Tina asked him, confused.

'I- I dunno. I just felt like I should-' He cut of when he saw Zed, Xav and Will grinning. He sank back into his seat. 'You're serious, aren't you?'

'Yep,' Will told him, popping the p.

'Okay, so the telepathys's real, what about these other abilities you say you have?'

'Every Savant has an ability besides the telepathy, and some of us can do telekinessis as well-you know, moving stuff with your mind?' Nelson scoffed, but I went on. 'Zed and Karla are both the seventh child in their families so their powers are stronger-they both read minds and see the future. Crystal's one too, a seventh child, I mean. She's a soulseeker.'

'Probably best to explain that part later,' Crystal warned me. I nodded.

'I can see aura, so I can tell what you're feeling and if you're lying, as well as knowing when a Savant is using their powers,' I said, with Zoe looking at me as if unsure whether I was kidding. 'Uriel can see a person's past, Will and Saul both sense danger, Xav heals, Di makes peace, Trace can see an object's past, Victor can control people's thoughts, Phee can freeze a person's mind and Yves-'

I stopped as the living room door opened. Phee, Yves, Uri, Alec and Lyric came back in, looking content as if they had sorted out the whole 'why don't you remember me' situation. Yves still seemed a bit confused, but he hid it as we all looked at them.

'Oh good, you're back,' Karla said. 'We were just about to show them... what we can do.'

My friends were all staring at us, obviously not believing what we had told them. How can they believe the telepathy but not this?

Then Yves said,' This should be fun,' as he conjured a ball of fire above his outstretched palm.

Lyric, who had been standing next to him, yelped and jumped back. Alec was looking at it in wonder.

'Whoa.'

Zoe's mouth was hanging open, Tina's eyes were as wide as tennis balls and Nelson was shaking his head in amazement.

'Drama queen,' Zed told Yves.

'Dude, we hadn't told them what your power was yet,' Will said.

Yves smirked. 'I can sense energy, as well as make things explode and catch fire.' He indicated the flaming air.

'Yeah, cause they sure wouldn't have figured out the last part on their own.'

'Give over Xav,' I told him.

I met Phee's eyes. _You okay?_

_Yeah, I'll tell you later. _

_'_Can you show us yours?' Nelson asked her.

Phee grinned. 'Sure. Sky, will you?'

I nodded, and moved to get out of my seat.

Then, I froze.

At first I didn't realise because, well, because my mind was frozen. After some time (I had no way of knowing how long I had been there) I started to fight it off, moving as fast as I could, which was more or less a snail's pace. Finally, I broke free completely, and I almost fell forward but Zed caught my shoulders and pulled me back upright.

Zoe, Nelson and Tina were laughing historically. I rolled my eyes but grinned at them. Alec and Lyric seemed impressed.

'How long was I like that?' I asked them.

'Not long,' Phee said, still smiling, completely different from how she'd been about half an hour ago when Alec had first appeared, 'I didn't have much energy to make it strong, so it didn't last long.'

'Guys that is so cool!' Tina exclaimed.

'Totally,' Zoe agreed. 'Do any more of you have powers that we can, you know, see?'

'What can you do, Lyric?' Saul asked her.

'Oh,' she said, 'mine's pretty weird. I can see things really far away. I can stand in one place, but be able to see around corners and into rooms that I'm not even in the same building as. Say I want to see down a corridor that's around the corner from where I am; It's as if I'm walking down there myself, except I'm not moving. Plus, I can see through doors that aren't open, so it's kinda like x-ray vision, except only for doors.'

'Awesome,' Zoe said.

'That would be really useful,' Trace told her.

She nodded. 'It is.'

We turned to her soulfinder.

Alec shrugged. 'You've already seen mine,' he said, but he vanished anyway. His was probably one of the coolest powers I've seen.

The others started to laugh again. 'I wish I could do something like that,' Nelson said.

I smiled at him. 'Yeah, but that definitely isn't the best part of being a Savant.'

'You serious, Sky?' Zoe asked me. 'You can beat invisibility, sort of x-ray vision, fire and mind freezing?'

'You bet,' Diamond told her.

'How?'

I was about to answer, but I heard cars pulling up outside. Then a banging on the door.

'That'll be the FBI,' Vick said. He jumped out of his seat and went to get the door. We heard muffled voices as he spoke angrily to the man outside.

A minute later, he came back in with a bunch of people in uniforms with bulletproof vests and guns. The man leading them nodded to us, before proceeding to help his team carry the unconscious men outside.

'Just out of curiosity,' a man in a suit said to Victor, 'how exactly did youmanage to knock out everyone single one of these guys without leaving so much as a mark on them?'

'You really want to know?' Vick asked, eyebrows raised.

The man gave a short, chortling laugh. 'I should know better than to ask any more Benedict. Spent enough time around you to know.' He turned to the rest of us. 'Apologies for this, my good people. Don't worry, Victor's spoken to me and I assure you that this one,' he jabbed a finger at the last body, which happened to be Maria, 'will be kept under much tighter security from now on. Plus, her sentence will be increased of course. The last thing I need from you is one of you to give an account of what happened. Victor has already, of course, but we'd appreciate a second.'

'I'll go,' I said, standing up. The man nodded and lead me outside, just behind the last armed person who was carrying Maria, with Bick behind me. She was loaded into one of the three vans and I was called over by a woman that I recognised to be Kowalski, Victor's partner who had helped us the first time the Kelly's targeted me.

She greeted me, then asked me a few questions about what had occurred. I waited until she had exchanged a few words with Victor and she and the man had driven away in a plain black car following the vans until going back inside.

'Sorry about earlier Sky,' Vick said.

'It's fine, really, but for what it's worth I'm sorry for snapping too. I know why you're annoyed Vick, but you'll find her, and we'll be there to help you,' I told him. He gave me a grateful smile before opening the family room door.

Everyone was now seated and after Victor explained that everything with the authorities was settled we both sat down too.

'So,' Nelson said, eager to find outmore about the whole Savant thing, 'what's the 'bestt' thing you mentioned? The things that's better than all your super powers?'

'Our soulfinders,' Lyric said simply.

'And those would be what, exactly?'

'Our soulmates, our other halves, our perfect matches,' Uriel said. 'Every Savant has one, somewhere in the world. They are someone who is conceived at the same time as you, and is the perfect person for you.'

'You're telling us that you have soulmates?' Tina asked. 'How exactly are you supposed to know. Where this person is, or who they are, for that matter?'

'That's where I come in,' Crystal told her. 'I'm a soulseeker, I find people's soulfinders for them.'

'As for how you know who they are,' Vick said, 'you'll know it's them after you use telepathy on each other.'

'What,' Zoe asked, 'like actual fireworks?'

'Kind of,' I said.

'Fireworks?' Trace questioned. I nodded, along with the rest of the girls. Almost all of the guys looked confused.

'You're serious? You don't know what that means?' Phee asked them. 'Uh, you're useless.'

'That's why we were all home today-Crystal was going to look for our soulfinders,' Will said.

'It sounds a bit weird. Like arranged marriages or something.' Zoe glanced around, looking for someone to agree with her.

'That's what I said when Zed told me, but it's not like that, trust me.'

'You mean you and Zed are - what's it called again?' Zoe screwed up her nose, trying to remember.

I smiled up at Zed. 'Soulfinders. And yeah, we are. So are Trace and Diamond, Xav and Crystal, Saul and Karla, Yves and Phoenix and Alec and Lyric.'

'That's why you're nice now!' Tina said.

'I was always nice!' Zed told her. Everyone who had known him before he met me looked at him like _You serious?_

'Of course you were,' I told him, patting his arm. (Note the sarcasm)

'Can't catch a break in this family,' he muttered under his breath, but he smiled anyway.

A second later Tina's phone bleeped. 'Crap! I was meant to be home an hour ago. I have to go now. You coming guys?' Zoe and Nelson nodded and stood up. 'What are we supposed to tell are parents about today?'

'Probably best not to mention it for now if that's alright,' Victor told them. 'Just until I get everything cleared up.' They nodded.

'You know, you never said, what did that woman want with you guys anyway?' Nelson asked.

'You remember how the Kellys got arrested last year? That was because of Sky's kidnap. She wanted revenge.'

My friends gave me a pitying look and I rolled my eyes at them. 'I'm fine guys, honestly.' I lead them to the front door where I hugged the two girls. 'Thanks for not freaking. Sorry again for getting you dragged into this.' It was completely dark now. 'You sure you don't want a ride home.'

'It's not far-we'll be okay,' Nelson assured me as they walked down the drive.

'You see anything strange, you call me, okay?' I yelled after them.

'You sound like my grandmother!' he yelled back. I chuckled and closed the door, heading back to the living room.

'So, what now?' Crystal asked when I came back. I shrugged and yawned.

'Sleep!' Karla announced. 'It's after eleven-Sky, I'll call you're parents and tell them you're staying here for the night. Now, you two!' She turned to Alec and Lyric. 'Have you anywhere to stay?'

'No, but-'

'Then you must sleep here. I'm afraid we don't have enough rooms for everyone. Boys, you can sleep-'

'Karla, we can stay down here,' Crystal told her. She indicated the girls and I nodded. 'Then the boys can have their rooms and Alec the spare room.'

'Lyric, you okay to stay down here?' Phee asked.

Lyric nodded and smiled brightly. 'Sure.'

'It's like a kid's sleepover,' Di told us, laughing.

'That's why it's great,' I said, 'and it'll give you a chance to explain.' I looked to Phee.

'Fine,' she said. 'It's settled then.'

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**This chapter is way longer than the rest so I hope it'll make up for the fact that I meant to update two days ago.**

**R&R**


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